Quiet Aaron Copland became 'dean of American music'

5:05 AM,
Nov. 14, 2013

Aaron Copland, seated, and Leonard Bernstein

Written by

"For me, the most important thing is the element of chance that is built into a live performance. The very great drawback of recorded sound is the fact that it is always the same. No matter how wonderful a recording is, I know that I couldn't live with it - even of my own music - with the same nuances forever."

Aaron Copland, who was born in Brooklyn on Nov. 14, 1900, was a quiet young man who became the dominant voice of American classical music because he was willing to push the boundaries of both popular and critical music.

He was born into a Russian immigrant family and grew up over his family's store in ...